by Kate Whitsby
“How far out of town are you?” Jude asked.
Alma didn’t answer. Her eyes roamed the spare landscape behind the wagon. She listened to the gentle thump of the horse’s feet in the dust. A gentle wind blew the stray hair out of her face and made a hollow howling noise in her ears. She listened to it and drifted away.
“Alma?” Jude called.
Her head swung around. “Huh?”
“I asked you how far out of town you are,” Jude repeated. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Riding in the wagon sort of puts me to sleep. If you just keep talking to me, I’ll pay more attention. As soon as we stop talking, I go into some kind of trance. I do it automatically. It helps the time pass.”
“All right,” Jude replied. “I’ll remember that. So how far out of town are you?”
“About eighteen miles,” Alma answered. “We’ll get home just on dark.”
“Tell me what you have going on out on the ranch,” Jude told her. “I’d like to get out with you tomorrow and see your operation.”
“You know how it is,” Alma replied.” The cattle are just summer grazing. We’re pretty busy protecting them from coyotes and wild cats and wolves, keeping them moving between grazing areas, down to the river each day for water, and then back. There’s not a lot to see at this time of year. There’s not a lot going on.”
“I still want to see it for myself,” he returned. “I want to know what I’m getting myself into. And if you are thinking of handing over some or all of your work, I’ll need to be familiar with the ranch if I’m going to be taking on the responsibility.”
“I think I explained to you in my letters,” Alma remarked. “That neither Amelia nor Allegra has any intention of giving up any control over the running of the ranch. They both want me to make it clear to you that they don’t want you coming in and taking over.”
“I understand that,” Jude replied. “I understand you three have managed this ranch by yourselves for a long time and it’s going to take some time to get used to doing things a different way.”
Alma glanced toward the driver’s seat just long enough to see both her sisters stiffen, but neither of them turned around. “We don’t want to do things a different way,” Alma insisted. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you. We don’t want to become used to doing things your way, and we don’t want to become used to you making decisions and running things. We want to keep running things the same way we always have. That’s what I’m telling you.”
“I understand,” Jude repeated. “You don’t have to stop running things. I’m just saying it’s going to take some time before you get used to having another person around. It always takes time when a new person comes onto a ranch with a fresh perspective and new ideas. There’s always a breaking-in period. I’ve seen it a dozen times on ranches I’ve worked.”
“Have you worked on many?” Alma asked. “You make it sound like you’ve moved around a lot.”
Jude flushed and turned away. He watched his horse plod along behind the wagon. “You know how it is. You start working somewhere, everything’s going great guns, then you start to butt heads with someone, and the next minute, you’re buttin’ heads with the boss, and then you’re movin’ on to the next place.”
“What did you butt heads over?” Alma asked.
“Just what we were talking about,” Jude replied. “Some people don’t like having a new man on the job with a different set of ideas on how to do things. Some people want everyone to do things their way. It doesn’t always make for the most successful working relationship.”
“But if that person is the boss,” Alma pointed out. “Then he would have the right to demand you do it his way. Wouldn’t he?”
Jude shrugged. “I never said he didn’t. I just have my own way of doing things that works for me. That’s the way I am. And then I have my way of talkin’ to people and jokin’ around and havin’ fun. Not everyone likes that, either. Rubs some people the wrong way, if you know what I mean.”
“I see,” Alma muttered. “Well, I think you’ll find us more than reasonable. We have our own way of doing things, but we never demand that other people do them that way. Just so long as you understand that we don’t plan to change our methods, and we aren’t looking for you to take over our operation.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I get that.”
“Good,” Alma exclaimed. “Then let’s talk about something else.”
“Yes. Let’s.” Jude snuck a glance toward the tented throne and brought his eyes back to Alma. He smiled at her.
Alma followed his gaze toward her father and found Clarence staring at Jude through narrowed eyes. She tried to catch his eye by smiling at him, but he never took his eyes off Jude. What was he thinking? What was he seeing? Could he see at all? Was he just listening casually to their conversation?
Alma returned her attention to her husband and smiled back at him. “So what about you? Tell me what you’ve been up to this last season. Where have you been before you came down here?”
“I worked for a few months up near Amarillo,” Jude told her. “I visited my family while I worked on a neighboring ranch. After that, I rode on a round-up out of New Braunfels. That ended about a month ago. Then I made my way down here. I made a few stops along the way, but I came here after that.”
“How are all the folks at home?” she asked.
“They’re just fine,” he replied.
“Did you tell them you were getting married?” Alma asked.
“I told my cousin,” Jude told her. “He sent his congratulations.”
“Didn’t you tell your parents?” Alma asked. “You said they still lived up there. Didn’t you see them?”
“I didn’t tell them,” Jude admitted. “They would only get upset.”
“Upset?” Alma gasped. “Why?”
Jude colored. “My mother would get upset that I was getting married somewhere away from home where she couldn’t attend the wedding and get her fingers stuck into every detail of how it was to go off. And my father would get upset that I made the decision to get married without consulting him first and letting him lecture me about the rights and responsibilities of a husband. That’s why I didn’t tell them.”
“But isn’t that the parents’ job?” Alma asked. “Isn’t that what a father and mother are supposed to do when their son gets married?”
Allegra called back over her shoulder, “Don’t let her fool you, Jude. She didn’t consult with Papa before she made the decision to marry you, either. And you can bet your boots she never let anyone lecture her about her rights or responsibilities.” Allegra snorted and turned back to the front of the wagon.
Alma shook her head to get the blood out of her cheeks. “I only meant that it’s normal for the parents to want to have something to say about their son getting married. And at least I told you and Amelia and Papa I was getting married. At least we all went together to the church, and you were there with me when it happened. Jude’s parents don’t even know he got married.”
“Oh, they’re used to it by now,” Jude told them. “My sister ran off and got married without telling anyone. She hooked up with a local plowboy on the quiet, and the next minute, they’ve flown the coop and are living happily as lawful man and wife out in Nevada. Shoot, she didn’t even write home for about four years afterward, either.” He laughed. “Didn’t my Mama cry when she received that first letter!”
Alma stared at him in shock. “That must have upset your parents very much.”
Jude shrugged. “Heck, that’s the least of their worries. At least my sister married the guy. It could have been a sight worse for everyone if she hadn’t. Once it was all said and done, my parents thanked their lucky stars for small mercies. They’ve had their hands full with the three of us ever since we were small. They’re used to that sort of thing by now.”
Chapter 11
